Hi Brett,

the lighter wires with pulley adjustment are probably the skippers trap wires and the ones with the bit with circle each end commonly called dogbones are probably crew trapeze. The dog bones allow height adjustment by hooking trapeze on upper or lower ring, as the pulleys do for the other trap. They usualy both attach on one shackle near or with the stays, at the hounds on the mast.

The 4" or 5" short in forestay, probably can be taken up with 3mm rope lashing which you use to set rig tension. Usualy tighten this until it stops mast rotating and then back it off a bit so mast rotates freely. Many Mossies use rope lashing in forestay, make sure it is high quality low stretch rope, best is spectra, dyneema etc. or at lest a pre stretched braided polyester. 3 or 4 mm is ok tension it with 3 wraps, which is enough for 4 mm, if using 3mm wrap it a few more times before tying it off.

What do you have on the bottom of your sidestays? you mentioned shackles, is there no adjustment. Many boats have some form of adjustment here which could take up some of the shortage in the forestay.

Raising the mast with sidestays attached from the rear is common. Is there a pivot pin and plate in your mast foot fitting? Many Mossies do have this. Personaly I like to raise the mast from the front attaching the fore stay loosely first, as you can then just walk between the hulls until it is upright lean it back against the forestay and reach across and attach sidestays. But you need to have mast base pivot pin around the right way for this.

Certainly a good idea to look at Mossie rigging on Vic. website to see if pictures and descriptions help. Good Luck. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Regards Gary. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />